Race for District 38 Assembly seat narrows in Bergen County recount

The long race for a state assembly seat in District 38 narrowed Monday as a recount of paper ballots in Bergen County trimmed a lead by Assemblyman Tim Eustace, D-Maywood, over his closest Republican challenger Rochelle Park Mayor Joseph Scarpa from 54 to 36 votes.

Election workers in Hackensack spent most of the day reviewing just over 3,000 absentee and provisional ballots from the 12 central Bergen County towns in the district. Provisional ballots are cast by voters when there is a discrepancy over their registration, often as the result of a change of address.

Eileen DeBari, chairwoman of the Bergen County Board of Elections, said the recount went more quickly than anticipated. Originally, she predicted a three-day process. That was shortened to two when Scarpa opted not to have all the voting machine tallies reexamined.

“We were just pleasantly surprised that it only took us a day,” DeBari said.

The recount now shifts to Passaic County where paper ballots will be recounted on Thursday in Hawthorne, the lone Passaic County town in the district.

Meanwhile, Bergen County officials also will reexamine voting machine tallies on Thursday from Glen Rock, where a threat on Election Day closed polling places at a school. Voters were then shifted to cast paper ballots at town hall.

W. Timothy Howes, a Raritan attorney representing Scarpa, said he was glad the recount Monday resulted in some additional voters being counted.

“We just want to make sure that everything is counted and everyone has a chance to make their vote count,” Howes said.

Bergen County election officials will also conduct a recount Thursday of two close town council races in Englewood Cliffs and Ridgefield.